


The World In-Between

by orphan_account, reptar641



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Eventual Romance, Eventual violence, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Minor Character Death, Other, Violence, Zombie Apocalypse, Zombies, idk - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-21
Updated: 2020-03-21
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:20:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23099239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account, https://archiveofourown.org/users/reptar641/pseuds/reptar641
Summary: 7 friends fight their way through the zombie apocalypse, with a little bit of romance and a whole lot of being badass
Kudos: 2





	The World In-Between

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this fanfic on wattpad 6 years ago. I decided I wanted to rewrite it, maybe with a little more plot and explanation this time. The co-creators helped me get my thoughts straight so ily

"Fuck, come on," She hit the side of the thick TV. The old TV was making a horrible high pitched buzzing noise and the picture coming through was fuzzy at best. "Don't crap out now, we actually need live updates," Honey smacked the TV one more time. 

"Give it up," Another girl chimed in from the opposite side of their small room. "The picture hasn't been clear in days," It had probably been weeks since they actually had a news update, what had started as a few small outbreaks soon turned into something way more serious. She wondered why they even kept the clunky piece of trash.

Honey turned to look at her. Alexis was bundled up on one of the old bean bags in the corner, a book propped in her lap. The minimal light from one of the shatter-proof windows was shining down onto her face, her blue eyes shined up at Honey. The mother-like energy Alexis radiated left Honey slightly calmer than before. "Pick up a book or turn on the radio for updates," The blue eyed girl let a soft smile grow on her face. 

"F-fuck," the walkie talkie on the table next to Alexis broke out in a static filled voice. "Still no signs of her, over." 

"Hey, Maze, don't stay out too much longer," Alexis pushed the button and spoke into the device. "Don't need you going missing too," She looked over to Honey, who was biting her nails. Arabella, the fourth and final piece of their small family, had gone missing the night before. She had left in the middle of the night after a small argument over the necessities and hadn't shown up in the morning. Honey had immediately feared the worst and Maize had offered to go out as soon as she got out of bed. 

"Yeah, whatever," Maize responded from the other end. Her irritated voice echoed through the bunker. "Over and out." 

Alexis rolled her eyes and put the walkie talkie back on the charger. The other girl was now nervously pacing back and forth, frustrated sighs leaving her mouth. 

"God, Arabella, she's such a dumbass but," Honey left out a curdled scream. "She knows its not safe!" Her hands ran through her long hair. "We told her last time we wouldn't save her and now what? She probably got herself killed!" Honey's brown eyes were filled with tears. Deep down she knew Arabella was gone, they had heard echoed screams early in the morning, but there was nothing anyone could do. 

Alexis let out a small sigh. She stood from her spot and went to hug the taller girl. "It'll be okay," She said in a soothing voice. "It'll all work out in the end," 

Meanwhile, Maize had been out all day, looking for Arabella everywhere. It was the least she could do for the group, and she liked getting out of the bunker. A little adrenaline rush never hurt anyone. She was the smallest of the group, it was easier for her to hide and get around anything that tried to come for her. The neighborhood cats weaved in and out of the long grass and weeds lining the roads she walked down. She liked to carry small cat treats in her packs, just to make friends with the strays. The peace they gave during the panic was nice to have around. 

As she turned the corner to head back home, she stopped. The sound of someone walking was coming from somewhere in front of her. Maize pulled the knife she kept on her out and surveyed the area. It didn't look like there was anyone around, none of the grass was moving enough to show some sort of creature creeping in the fields either. It wasn't until her brown eyes settled on a tall figure ahead of her that her heart exploded. 

It was a boy, that much Maize could tell. He didn't seem to be undead. He was walking normally, as if he was out for a casual afternoon stroll. Maize held her breath for a second before creeping her way behind him. As she got closer, her suspicions were confirmed. He was human, with medium length, curlyish blonde hair. He had yet to notice her.

Maizes' knife trembled in her small hands. She was never this nervous to kill something undead, never this shaky around anything. But, it had been months since she had seen someone other than the small family her friends had made in their time of need, the idea of just casually running into someone else blew her mind. Her thoughts left her mind as she took a deep breath and caught the person in a headlock, knife pressed to their jugular. 

"Who the fuck are you?" She growled into his ear. From this angle she could see his face a little better. His blue eyes were filled with fear, a small button nose perched in the middle of his face, and his pink lips were open in a silent scream. "Why have I never seen you before?" 

The boy gasped for air. "I-i can explain," He stuttered out. His hands found their way to Maizes' thighs and he gripped them.

Maize dug the knife deeper into his neck, not yet breaking the skin. "Start talking," Her heart felt like it was going to explode out of her chest and she was pretty sure the boy could feel it too. A light blush had formed on her face. She hoped he couldn't tell how nervous she actually was.

"I-" He coughed, nearly gagging on his own saliva, "My name is Luke," He started, his eyes turning to get a look at Maize. His eyes surveyed what he could see of her face. Golden brown eyes, a shiny piece of metal through her septum, and some messy bangs hanging over her eyebrows. "Are you looking for the girl?" He seemed to be getting more confident. 

"How did you know?" Maize pulled him down more, his back curving in an uncomfortable fashion. "Tell me what you know," 

"I-i met her once," He looked into Maizes' eyes. "Months ago, but we heard her screaming last night," His eyes softened a little. "We looked out the window and.." His eyes met Maizes'. "They had gotten to her." 

Maize maintained a straight face, jaw clenched. "There are more of you?" She questioned as she released her grip on Luke a tiny bit. 

"Four of us," Luke whispered. "I can take you there now," 

"No," Maize stared straight forward. "It's getting dark." The sun was setting behind the trees and the sky had burst into beautiful shades of orange, pink, and purple. "You'll come with me and we'll go as a group in the morning," She let Luke stand up straight, knife now pressed to his back. "Walk," 

Their walk back to the bunker was tense. Maize had her knife pressed to Luke's back, ready to attack if he stepped out of line. They were silent until they came to the small trapdoor that lead into the bunker. Maize grabbed her walkie talkie and pressed the button. 

"Two coming down now, over." She opened the trap door and motioned for Luke to go first. Maize followed him close behind and made sure all the latches were properly secured before jumping down to the small room they all lived in. 

The scent of cooked food caught Luke's nose. His stomach rumbled loudly, enough for the rest of the room to hear. He couldn't remember the last time his group had a full meal, let alone cooked it. 

Honey turned around from her spot. "Arabella why are you-" She stopped as soon as she saw Luke's face. "Who the fuck are you?" She growled. 

Alexis was quick to turn around as soon as she sensed the newfound tension in the air. "Honey, calm down," She stood up from where there was a warm soup on the tiny camping stove they had set up. "He's probably more scared than you are," 

Maize threw down her walkie talkie and bag. "His name is Luke, he knows about Arabella, and apparently there are more of them somewhere," She rolled her eyes. "I found him on my way home," 

"I'm not some lost puppy, you know." He glared at Maize, who shrugged her shoulders in return. "My friends, they're like my brothers, are in a cabin a few miles from here," He started. "I didn't know your friend that well, but I did see her get attacked last night," He eyed the food on the stove. "I couldn't save her," 

Alexis sighed, her heart clenching. "Okay," She nodded and moved across the floor to stand closer to Luke. "I'm Alexis, the girl over there is Honey, and you know our... wonderful Maize," She pointed to everyone. "Do you want some food?" 

Luke quickly nodded. Honey had some things to say before Luke could even respond on the other hand. 

"Hey, wait, no," She angrily argued. "We cannot just be throwing food out to people whenever we want. We don't even know this dude and yet we're giving him food?" Honey rolled her eyes. "He could be here to kill us and eat our flesh! How do we know his little friends didn't do the same?!" She pushed Luke in the shoulder. "Maize never should have brought him here!" 

"Honey! We have plenty of food to share with him!" Alexis' face was red with anger. "When people need help, we help them. The least we can do is give him food and a place to sleep for tonight!" She had already fixed a bowl for Luke and pulled one of the less broken chairs over to him. "And we will ALL be going out tomorrow to help him home, and to meet the rest of his group," Alexis stared Honey in the face. Even she was worried about the plan, meeting strangers and letting someone they don't know sleep in their makeshift home. She hoped she did the right thing, she always hoped someone would do the same for her or her family, it was the least she could do for this boy.

Honey huffed but kept her mouth shut. She knew where Alexis was coming from but didn't want to admit she might be right. She fixed her own bowl of soup and sat on her mattress. She couldn't wait to see how this came to bite them in the ass later. 

"I'm starved," Maize had wiped her face with the clean washcloth they had in their makeshift bathroom. The small amounts of dirt she had on her face were gone, along with the makeup she had put on that morning. Alexis was ready for her and had fixed her a bowl already, motioning for her to go sit wherever. Maize made herself at home on her own mattress, curled up in the numerous blankets she had. "What's up with you?" She nodded at Luke. 

Luke raised an eyebrow at her. Wasn't she just trying to kill him not even an hour ago? What had changed? "Just.. enjoying my food. Thank you, by the way." He smiled at Alexis and looked back at Maize. "What's up with you?" He questioned back. 

Maize shrugged. "Same as you," She looked him up and down. "You want clean clothes for bed?" She sipped her soup. 

"That... would be nice." Luke watched as she disappeared into the bathroom again. The short girl emerged a few moments later, holding a pair of gray sweats and a tshirt. "Where'd you get those?" He asked as she placed them by his feet. 

"My brother, before he disappeared." She looked up at him. "You're both tall. Those might be big on you," Maize let a giggle fall from her mouth as she went to go sit back down. 

"Maize, you better show that boy where the bathroom is," Alexis said from her bean bag. "I put water on to boil so he can have some hot water to wash with." The blue eyed girl motioned to the large pot on the stove. "When he's done, you need to wash up and change too," Alexis cringed slightly at the sound of the trap door creaking. 

After Luke had scrubbed the dirt off his body, and Maize had done the same, they decided to go to bed. It was late and everyone was tired from all the emotions the day had brought. Luke found himself in Arabellas' empty bed, squished between Maize and Alexis. Maize had started to make small talk as the others fell asleep. The two of them talked for a while, Maize apologized for how she had acted before, and Luke found himself telling her he would have done the same. After Maize went quiet, Luke turned his head and watched her for a moment. Maize had flipped onto her stomach, her head turned towards him. Her face was relaxed, mouth slightly parted. She had bundled her blankets up and was cuddled with something under the blankets. He sat up a bit to observe Honey and Alexis, only to find them in similar positions, all fast asleep. He put his head back onto his pillow and stared up at the ceiling for a moment. He hoped his friends weren't too worried, or out searching. A soft sigh left Luke's mouth. There was nothing he could do at the moment. He closed his eyes and let the world slip away from him, dreaming of better times.


End file.
